Shinichi in Ikebukuro
by TrunksIzayaBossKadoDRRRotaku
Summary: Ikebukuro, a wild city already known for its boisterous residents, gets another surprise guest when the famed High School detective of the east, Kudo Shinichi, comes to visit, in search of a certain phantom thief. Where could he be and why did he invite Shinichi here to begin with? Post-Conan, no pairings yet.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:Here's a new story idea I've been working on, but I'm gonna put it up here on Deviantart. This isn't really fleshed out much yet, but I swear it'll have some meat on it later. :/ Second chapter going up soon. :D

* * *

Chapter One: Ikebukuro's newest visitor

It goes without saying, that Ikebukuro is probably the craziest ward in Japan. Gangs such as the Dollars, Yellow Scarves, and Blue Squares thrive here and engage in on-again, off-again conflicts, a headless rider searches for her missing head, and let's not forget about Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara's explosive relationship.

Yes, Ikebukuro was so wild that the Ikebukurians gradually got used to such things, so seeing new people in their ward was nothing out of the ordinary. That was why the new person walking down the street was paid almost no attention to by the Ikebukurians. He looked just like anyone else, after all. A small smirk crawled up his face at that point as he stared at something in his hands, but then he collided with someone.

'So much for paying attention to what I'm doing,' He thought to himself in annoyance.

"OW!" He cried, rubbing his aching head. His eyes widened upon finding himself staring into the face of a giant African-American man who was looking at him in surprise and worry.

"You all right, kid? I know what make you feel better! How about some Russia Sushi? It good!" The man said, in a distinctly foreign accent.

'He's definitely new to Japanese,' The boy thought to himself before shrugging. "Nah, I'm not exactly hungry now. Sorry."

"Why? You no like Russia Sushi? I make it with best ingredients and it comes right from the heart!" The man said, putting a hand to his heart in a dramatic gesture. The boy immediately raised an eyebrow at the strange scene, wondering to himself if he should just make an excuse and leave.

"S-Sorry, not now, I'm sort of busy now."

Simon studied the boy before him. He was of average height for his age, wearing casual clothing. He had a mature air about him and his blue eyes seemed to be full of intelligence beyond his years. His hair was messy and dark brown.

"Oh, one other thing, boy. What your name? I'm Simon Brezhnev."

The boy turned to look at him. "...Kudo Shinichi."

"Young Master Kudo, you seem kind. So will you go to Russia Sushi?"

Shinichi stared at him blankly. "Eeh...not right now. Like I said, I'm busy-"

"Yo, Simon! What's up?" A new voice cried out. Shinichi turned in time to see two boys walking toward Simon, though not really...one was trying to inch himself away from the giant. The first had blond hair and golden-honey brown eyes, and the second had dark hair and blue eyes.

"Kida-kun, you want Sushi?" Simon said.

"Nah, we already ate," The boy, Kida, apparently, said. His golden eyes came to rest on Shinichi, who was eying him in curiosity. "Who's this? Another hungry customer?"

"I been trying to convince him to eat Russia Sushi, but he refuses." Simon said, looking sad.

"Oi, oi, I'll eat it later, all right?" Shinichi said, getting annoyed. 'Are the people here really this annoying?'

"Young Master Kudo, will you really eat here?"

"Yes," Shinichi reluctantly agreed.

"Kudo?" The golden-haired boy voiced.

"My name's Kudo Shinichi," Shinichi introduced.

Kida smiled. "I'm Masaomi Kida and this is my friend, Mikado Ryuugamine."

"H-Hello," Mikado said shyly.

Shinichi eyed Mikado. 'Hmm...there's something off about him. He seems to be pretending to be shy. What is this feeling I sense from him? Is he some sort of criminal? Huh...' He thought.

"So why are you in Ikebukuro?" Masaomi asked, leading the newbie around. Masaomi had to say that this teenage boy was definitely quite withdrawn and quiet, preferring to be in his own thoughts, but there was something not quite right about him. He seemed to be too serious for a teenager.

"Well, I'm looking for someone who came here. I'm trying to find him, you could say," He whispered softly.

"Well, isn't that interesting? We have a classmate who's gone missing, too." Mikado spoke up quietly, and then blushed when the boy looked at him. There was just something piercing about those blue eyes of his.

"I see," Shinichi remarked, "I'm going to be attending a school called Raira Academy."

"Really? A new transfer student? This is amazing! We're going to have to teach you how to attract the girls!" Masaomi chirped.

Shinichi just smirked. "I'm not interested, sorry."

"Why not?"

"I already have a girlfriend," Shinichi admitted, and then sighed upon seeing Kida's sad face, which reminded him all too much of a certain thief.

Kida-kun and Mikado guided Shinichi around for a bit, and then they went their separate ways.

* * *

Shinichi was walking down a crowded street, when a dark-haired youth passed by him briefly.

"Hey, you. You seem new here," He said. Shinichi shivered when he noticed his eyes were a piercing blood-red. Yup, definitely possessed a criminal-like aura.

"...That's right," He said coolly. 'He feels like...Gin...'

"So, you want me to show you around? My name's Izaya. What's yours?" The boy extended a hand out to him, but Shinichi didn't take it.

"I'm Rampo Doyle. I come from Ekota." Shinichi lied.

"You have a Tokyo-esque accent," Izaya hissed. "So, who are you, really?"

Shinichi just stared him down calmly, an act that unnerved the informant. "I'm afraid I have somewhere to be, really."

And with that, he walked away from the open-mouthed black-haired man, who was shocked that anyone had actually rejected him.

'Who the hell _was that kid? _Why was he so damned hard to trick?'

Cursing, Izaya kicked the wall in frustration.

Shinichi got to his apartment easily and sat down on the couch, taking it in. "Man, this place sure is different from Beika."

He poured himself a cup of coffee and drank it. It was growing cold. "Damn."

That night, he went to bed, wondering over his new life in Ikebukuro. He wondered where that wily thief was. 'KID, what are you doing?'

Blue eyes flitted over to the sky. 'I wonder if he actually wants me to find him.'


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:I hope everyone has enjoyed this story so far! So far, there are no comments to it, but I hope everyone enjoys it, nonetheless.

* * *

Chapter two the Lost Phantom Thief

A pair of purple eyes blinked up at the ceiling for a few moments, until they came to rest on the moon that shone brightly outside. A smirk crawled up the face of its owner, who grinned and walked out onto his patio.

"What a beautiful night it is, isn't it, meitantei-san? I know you're looking for me, aren't you?"

Kaito, or Kaitou Kid, knew the detective too well to know he would not hesitate to come looking for the mysterious thief. For Kaito planned for all this to happen, he wanted the detective to visit Ikebukuro and take in as much of his new surroundings as possible. So far, he did not have a clue where he lived, but he was steadily working on that.

The thing was, the Internet here was pretty much the perfect way to get by. He found a particular site very useful for info gathering before his next heist. All he had to do was type in a certain seven-letter password and he'd be there.

He flipped up his phone and typed in the password. "...It's done. I'm logged in...to the Dollars."

The Dollars was some sort of online anonymous gang. No one really knew who they were and as long as you had a password and an anonymous email sent to you, you could log in from anywhere, at any time.

He smiled as he looked over the number of members. "Sure are a lot of "criminals," well, to borrow meitantei-san's term of phrase, I sometimes wonder who's in charge of the Dollars."

Unfortunately, as smart as Kaito was, he had not answered that million-dollar question, but one man had come close enough, and that man was Orihara Izaya. He had a good inkling he knew just who was the leader of the Dollars-it was all a matter of waiting for the right moment to strike.

'I'll be there, Mikado-kun,' He thought before smiling evilly at the thought of the innocent young boy (yeah, right, the head of the Dollars had to be anything but innocent, he knew) and he realized then that the reason Mikado-kun hadn't revealed himself was because he was afraid of managing such an organization.

Oh, he was going to have fun with this town, fun, indeed. Now, if he could find some more information on this Kaitou Kid...he would be all set.

* * *

Kudo Shinichi emitted a loud yawn as the latter walked down the early morning streets of Ikebukuro, which were as noisy as they were in the day. 'No quiet time in this town, huh?' He thought in annoyance.

It was at that moment then that he heard a clanging sound and suddenly saw an air conditioner being hurled out of seemingly nowhere at an innocent bystander. "What...the hell?" Shinichi said, pausing to stare at the simply unnatural sight. No one could have strength like that.

"YOU BASTARD! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" A new voice screamed.

'That can't be good,' Shinichi thought in horror. Who was going to kill someone? He had to do _something_! Instantly, the detective sprang into gear and ran around the corner, in time to see the air conditioner being lifted off the ground naturally by a man with blond hair dressed in a bartender's outfit.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" The man snarled.

Shinichi paled upon seeing the huge air conditioner. Clearly, the man was used to violence, and he might just turn around and use his violence as a weapon against the detective, but he steeled himself.

"Put it down. I won't let you kill anyone while I'm around," He said sharply.

The man looked at him and then narrowed his eyes. "Who do you think you are-?"

At that moment, a motorcyle rider came by and knocked the air conditioner out of his hands with...the bike.

"This is getting really weird," Shinichi mumbled, scratching his head.

"Celty, what was that for?" The blond man roared, clearly irate about something.

The masked rider shook its head and then typed out words on a phone.

"Couldn't you just talk to him?" Shinichi asked.

"Why are you still here, huh?" The blond man bellowed. "Besides, she can't talk. She has no head!"

"Say what?" Shinichi said.

'It's true. I don't have a head.' Celty, apparently, typed. Shinichi thought she sounded female.

"So you're a female." Shinichi deduced.

'How could you tell?' Celty typed, very shocked.

"Simple..." Shinichi said before smirking, "I'm a detective."

"A detective, eh?" The blond man said. "You don't look it."

"My name is Shinichi...Kudo Shinichi." Shinichi introduced.

"You smell like a snake." The blond said.

"A snake...? You mean, like that stupid black-haired man who tried to rope me into something yesterday? That guy seemed despicable."

The man laughed out loud, to his surprise. "I like your spirit, kid. The name's Shizuo, Shizuo Heiwajima."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:Well, I've been a little busy today so I have not had much time to write stories. :/ But I'll try my best to keep consistently updating as much as possible. In this update, prepare to see Shinichi adjusting to life in Ikebukuro. :D And of course Izaya fights with Shizu-chan; it just wouldn't be DRRR without them now, would it?**

* * *

**Chapter 3 Izaya vs Shizuo **

Ikebukuro was no doubt a wild and unnerving place to be in if you didn't know where you were going, much less staying. There were all sorts of dangers, from color gangs like the Yellow Scarves and the Blue Squares, to wild bartenders like Shizuo Heiwajima, to even devilish informants like Izaya Orihara. If you were smart, you could avoid all of them at once, but even the best genius messes up at times.

That was what the thoughts of one Kudo Shinichi were as the latter stopped walking briefly to rest against a sign. It had only been a month since he had stopped being three feet tall, and he still hadn't gotten used to not being incredibly short. Being a little kid meant that he wasn't looked at that much and could get around easier, but at least he wasn't escorted away from areas because he looked like a child or talked down to anymore.

'Wow, seems I'm still not quite used to being myself yet. That guy...Shizuo...he was quite an interesting guy.' Shinichi thought inwardly as he panted, ignoring the stares a few girls sent in his direction.

"...That guy over there sure is cute. You know, the one with the cowlick? I get the feeling I've seen him somewhere before."

"...Wow, me too! Did he appear on a TV program or something? He looks totally familiar."

"...I wonder who he is. Will he go out with me?"

A few girls approached the apprehensive detective, who backed away, afraid of being assailed by fangirls, and afraid of drawing attention to himself. His status as a detective must remain as unknown as possible here if he wished to investigate crime here without being noticed.

"...Anou...you've mistaken me for someone else, and I already have a girlfriend." He said.

The girls huffed. "Hmph! So, you think you're totally great, huh? I bet you'd like to stomp on our cell phones, huh? Guess what, some jerk totally smashed our phones to bits the other day. It was so creepy, and he was laughing while he did it, too."

"Uh, no...that'd be really rude to do. Who was he? Did you catch his name?" Shinichi asked.

The girls shrugged. "No, but he wore a black jacket. Why, are you some investigator trying to capture a criminal or something?"

Shinichi shook his head and laughed. "Nope, just curious!"

As the arrogant girls took off, he sighed. 'That was a close one...now, about that guy, Shizuo...what does he know about Ikebukuro? He sure is a weird guy...'

His mind flashed back to the brief chat they'd had earlier this morning, before he'd had to leave to go to his new school. If he wanted to appear to be a normal student, he had to go to school. At least he wasn't stuck with a bunch of first-graders. That was a consolation to the young boy.

* * *

"_You said your name is Kudo Shinichi, right?" The tall man named Shizuo said, staring at him through those black glasses of his. Shinichi couldn't see the look on his face right now and blinked. _

_Then the man extended a hand out to meet Shinichi, who shook his hand as well. "Whoa...you have a lot of muscle." Shinichi said._

_"Wasn't that obvious?" Shizuo said darkly. Shinichi backed away a little, but was surprised when the man just laughed and whipped out a pack of cigarettes. _

_"Wanna-"_

_"I don't smoke," Shinichi said, all too reminiscent of Gin when he saw someone smoking. _

_"You know," Shizuo said as he stood there watching the young detective look around, "You're awfully serious for someone your age. So you are a genuine detective?"_

_Shinichi nodded. "Yes. You may have heard of me." _

_"As a matter of fact...my younger brother happens to be a fan of yours. He was saddened when you disappeared. Kasuka is his name, but he goes by Yuuhei." _

_Shinichi gasped. "Yuuhei Hanajima, the actor? Kaasan talks about him a lot!" _

_Shizuo laughed. "Yep, he's my brother. He's used to my acts of violence. It's not like I like violence, Kudo...I want to stop it, but at the same time, I can't control it. I doubt a detective like you would understand how it feels to be in such a stupid situation, where you can't even control your own body and it rebounds on you...and everyone sees you as someone you're not. Can you imagine having to not know someone you're close to, for their own safety-" He began, but stopped upon seeing the icy look on the boy's face. _

_"...Yes," He said in a monotone voice, "I understand that __**perfectly. **__I've been in that situation before as well. It was so horrible. Every day was like a nightmare come true. Only I couldn't wake up." _

_"...What are you talking about?"_

_Instantly, Shinichi smiled again. "Nothing...just thinking about things I regret. ...I once couldn't save a person from dying. I watched them die before my eyes. It was horrifying. I could have done more..." _

_"...There was this lady who ran a bakery shop...she was nice to me and my brother...but one day I destroyed her shop and she got hurt because of me. After that, I couldn't face her ever again." Shizuo said, rubbing out his cigarette. "I like you, Kudo. You're a cool guy."_

_Shinichi snickered. "People have called me that before." _

_"But, Ikebukuro is no place for a detective. There're all sorts of dangers here that even you can't stop. Crime will always happen. Stay away from that venomous snake...you should stay away from a man by the name of Izaya." _

_"I...zaya?" Shinichi said. _

_"Even saying his name pisses me off!" Shizuo roared, ripping his cigarette in half._

_'Calm down,' The woman named Celty wrote. _

_"Sorry," Shizuo said. _

_"You're not all that bad. You just have a problem telling people how you feel." Shinichi said nervously. _

_Shizuo smiled. "Thanks, Kudo. You're a good person. Stay away from Izaya." _

* * *

Shinichi sighed as he spotted the two boys from yesterday walking with a dark-haired girl who seemed quite shy. Her brown eyes were downcast, hidden beneath glasses.

'She reminds me of Haibara,' Shinichi thought to himself. He pushed himself back up and brushed away a bead of sweat from his forehead as he prepared to greet them.

"Hey, man! Aren't you going to be late?" The boy called Kida yelled to Shinichi, waving at him. Mikado smiled nervously, while the girl just blinked and stared at Shinichi.

"Eh...I suppose." Shinichi said.

"Come with us!" Kida said, "It does no good to be walking in Ikebukuro all by yourself!"

"I can handle myself," Shinichi said sharply. Kida grabbed his arm.

"Come on, man, come and meet the ladies. This is Anri Sonohara, one of the cutest babes in Raira Academy." Kida said, indicating the black-haired girl, who flushed dark crimson before looking down at the ground.

"H-Hello...I'm Sonohara Anri...nice to meet you..." She trailed off.

"I'm Kudo Shinichi, nice to meet you," Shinichi said. When she didn't respond, he smiled nonetheless and turned around to greet Kida. "Well, we'd better get to school."

Shinichi sighed as he took his seat near the window. Surprisingly, he was in the same class with Ryuugamine-san and the girl called Sonohara. They looked over at him a lot, mostly the boy called Mikado. He had a strange curiosity in his eyes. He watched as Shinichi pretended to be paying attention while he brought out his notepad and started scribbling down deductions and tried to solve the riddle KID had given him.

"What are you doing?" He whispered to a very focused Shinichi while the latter was busy deciphering KID's message, while pointing out each clue. He had just made it to the part about 'unknown individuals with powers of chatting' when the boy interrupted him.

Startled, Shinichi nearly lost his grip on his pencil but managed to not make a sound, instead opting for a sharp stare at the boy. "Shh...I'm working."

"On what?" The boy said, looking quite fascinated.

Shinichi sighed. "...Notes. Someone left me a riddle and I'm trying to figure it out. It's tied to the person I'm looking for."

His eyes sparkled. "Wow, that's so cool and out of the ordinary!"

Shinichi sighed. The kid wouldn't leave him alone.

* * *

Mikado watched the dark-haired teen as he walked away from them during lunch, preferring to sit by himself. Mikado was enchanted by him; everything he did was extraordinary. This boy was completely unordinary. Who was he, really? Mikado saw him solving some sort of riddle with ease; writing complicated words down as fast as possible and making notes. He thought he'd seen something about 'individuals with powers of chatting.' Then the name of his group came to his mind... 'The Dollars.'

He was solving something on the Dollars. But how and why? He must find out what he was up to, he was their leader and he couldn't let them be endangered. He whipped open his phone and typed in the Dollars website address and typed in the password. Quickly, he typed in the name 'Kudo Shinichi' and hit search. The results that popped up stunned him.

'_Kudo Shinichi, the mysterious boy who solved a murder on the theater in New York City...a young high schooler who purports himself as a detective.' _

_'Kudo Shinichi, the savior of the Japanese police force solves yet another baffling murder! Will his genius mind ever fail?' _

_'Kudo Shinichi, Ace High School Detective, gives us interview.' _

He scrolled over the details.

'_Kudo Shinichi is a seventeen-year old teenage boy with blue eyes and brown hair. He has a cowlick and seems to be unable to tame his hair. He usually appears at crime cases out of the blue. Some people call him a walking 'murder magnet' because everywhere he goes, a murder happens. He is adored by fangirls in Japan and regarded as a hero by the Japanese media and police force. However, he is quite shy and modest when interviewed. Mr. Kudo, what do you think of this? Kudo-san shrugged and said he didn't care about the publicity. _

_Kudo Shinichi missing. Young ace detective has been gone for several months now. Rumors abound...was he abducted or...? _

Mikado frowned. 'He's a detective...he's sniffing around...and he could possibly discover who I am. If that's so, then I...must...get rid of-'

"...Curious about me, are you?" Shinichi said good-naturedly. "I guess I'm found out, huh? I didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to not know who I was. Yes, I'm a detective. Relax, Ryugamine-san. Why would I want to hurt you?"

Mikado shook his head. "I was curious about you. I was concerned that maybe you might be prowling too much in other's business."

Shinichi sighed, "...I know you're more than you seem, and you can drop that innocent face this instant. I know a person who acts happy all the time when he isn't, so I can tell when people are feigning happiness. Show me your real face."

Mikado's eyes turned icy. "...So, now you know? What will you do?"

"...I don't know you well enough yet. You must have some reason for keeping your skeletons locked up. Up until a few years ago, I assumed every criminal was nothing but guilty...but I know how it feels. So, whatever you're hiding must not be that bad. I won't arrest you, Mikado-san. You don't seem like the type who can hurt anyone. You're hiding your true self to protect those you care about. To me, that's quite admirable." Shinichi said before smiling at a stunned Mikado.

'Why? Why is he saying this to me? He's my enemy, a detective.' "You're lying."

"I'm not," Shinichi said. "I've been in your position before. It has to be done sometimes."

"Yo, Kudo, what are you doing hiding over there? Come join us!" Masaomi said.

"I'm going to go right over there and tell them," Shinichi said. Mikado said, "Wait, don't tell them-"

"Your secret's safe with you." Shinichi said. "Hey, Kida-san, how would you react if I told you my parents are famous? My father is a novelist and my mother is an actress. I'm their son...and a detective."

Kida gasped. "WHAT?"

"I know...sorry for hiding it. I just am rather modest about my publicity. That's all..."

"That's so cool!" Kida said. "I just knew there was something interesting about you!"

That day, they were walking home when a vending machine nearly hit Shinichi.

"...Shizuo-san," He sighed.

"DIE, YOU SCOUNDREL!"

"That's Shizuo, all right!" Masaomi chirped.

* * *

A young man dressed in all black came running past, wielding a knife. "Hello there, Kida-kun, Mikado-kun...and, oh, you. You're the guy I met the other day. What's your name?"

Shinichi smiled slightly. "Sorry, I don't trust people carrying knives. And I don't carelessly give away my name to people who don't seem trustworthy."

The man's face fell again, startled that anyone would see through him. Then he chuckled darkly. "I like that spirit of yours. Smart and quick on your feet. Clearly you are not an ordinary human. How interesting. Hmm...however, I think I know who you are more than you think...isn't that right, Kaitou KID? You two do look alike."

Shinichi laughed. "Sorry, I'm no thief. I'm _Kudo Shinichi, a detective. _So much for being a good informant if you can't even get your facts straight, Izaya-san. Let me guess...you're an information broker with a thing for chess, you like eating tuna, you deliberately tick off Shizuo-san, you get a kick out of manipulating people, you've allowed several girls to off themselves, and you also smuggle illegal things. You're also twenty-five." Shinichi smirked.

Izaya's mouth was wide open at this point in time and his face blanched. "W-Who the _hell are you? _How did you find out that much about me?"

"It comes with being a detective...and I also ask around," Shinichi said proudly.

Izaya laughed hysterically. "This is great. I finally meet a human with some damned brains."

Then Shizuo hit him with a sign post, because he was distracted. "Take that, flea."

Izaya got back up. "Nice aim, Shizu-chan. Though you might want to aim at him-he is a detective."

"I don't give a damn about him. He's a normal person unlike you!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:Well, I suppose I have more ideas for this ficlet of mine. **

* * *

**Chapter 4 Izaya's surprise**

Izaya Orihara stared at the brown-haired boy in front of him for a few moments before his lips curved into a smirk. "I should've known there was something fascinating about you, Kudo Shinichi-kun. I mean, from the moment we met, you were already being interesting, weren't you?"

"...You sure you want to do that?" Came the calm and controlled voice of one Kudo Shinichi, high school extraordinaire, and now that Izaya thought over it, he realized that in fact he did know the name of one Kudo Shinichi. In fact, a few years ago, he'd heard of him regularly, but then all had fallen silent when the detective had mysteriously vanished. In all of Japan and in Ikebukuro, all of the criminals breathed a sigh of relief, Izaya included; he was concerned that Kudo would have snooped around in his business.

So what if he toyed with a few people in his life? That was his purpose, after all; to love and entertain all of humanity, and that included Kudo Shinichi, the detective, but never did he imagine that he would find the detective here, of all places. It just figured that the detective would be so eccentric as to turn him down.

Most people were charmed by Izaya's nature, but not this one. Definitely not. The look he was giving him now was not one of hatred, but one of a detective towards a criminal.

"Izaya Orihara...I've heard quite a _lot _about you," He said, fixing a calm piercing stare on him, "And to be honest, I don't like what I've heard. I'm afraid that you and I cannot be friends, not as long as you're a criminal and I'm a detective."

"Whoa, you're being cool!" Masaomi cried.

Mikado, on the other hand, frowned. The guy was nice and everything, but...if he called Izaya a criminal, would that mean he would call him a criminal, too, because he was the leader of the Dollars? 'I hope not,' He thought.

"Aren't you a naive boy? You haven't even learned that there's no such thing as good and evil."

"I'm well aware of that," The detective said calmly, "I've been through some...well, unusual things."

"Oh, do tell," Izaya purred, coming closer to the detective with his knife whipped out, but still, Kudo Shinichi did not blink. He did not react. Instead, he just stared him down.

"Is this really what you want to do with your life? Do you really just want to go around toying with others and hurt them? Why do it?"

"Because I'm bored...and I love knowing knowledge. But, aren't you the same as I am? You enjoy thirsting after knowledge."

"True," Shinichi said, "However...sorry, but I do not associate with criminals."

"Hmm...and how about that phantom thief? I heard the reason you came here was because you're looking for him."

At this, Kudo Shinichi did something odd that Kida had never seen him do before: he actually looked a little angry. He said nothing and pulled out a gun and looked at it for a few moments before tucking it away.

"Ah, so you do walk around armed. I'm impressed, detective."

"Baarou, of course I would be. I mean, after being chased...by certain people, I think I would have to be aware, and even in Ikebukuro, there are numerous dangers-"

"Such as the Yellow Scarves, the Dollars, and the Blue Squares? Did you know that there are people among you who can tell you about the Yellow Scarves and the Dollars?"

Shinichi noticed that the blond boy had stopped smiling and instead he looked like he was about to attack Izaya. The black-haired boy was quiet as well, but more analytical, just observing Shinichi, wondering what his reaction would be.

"Well, I don't know anything about the people who made those organizations. I don't like gangs, and I don't like violence. Violence does nothing but create more hatred, but...I understand that people are driven to do those things out of desperation...or because they need a little excitement," He said before his eyes flitted over to Mikado, who flinched.

"I understand...what it's like to seek something so desperately that you'll do anything to get it back," He whispered.

"Do tell, Kudo Shinichi-kun. You're probably the most interesting thing to set foot in Ikebukuro since the Black Rider and since Shizu-chan showed up."

"You think so?" Shinichi said coldly. "Well, I have nothing more to say to a criminal like you, so if you could please leave, that would be most appreciated, and I take it that from the way Masaomi-san is reacting that you and he have already met before, and that...you two do not get along, so you should probably go."

"Your mind is most interesting indeed. It doesn't miss much. I'm proud of that. There aren't many around here who use their brains like you. Ta-ta, Kudo Shinichi-kun, this is only Round 1. Next we meet, it'll be interesting..." He said as he wandered off, with a furious Shizuo in pursuit of him, but not before Shizuo gave Shinichi a thumbs up and ran off.

"You two all right?" Shinichi asked, turning to look at Masaomi and Mikado. He then paused upon seeing that Masaomi still looked angry.

"I'm just fine," He lied, morphing back into the same plastic smile he'd worn before. "How do you know so much about me?"

"I'm a detective. Obviously if you two know a guy like him, then you obviously aren't ordinary kids."

"Neither are you," Mikado spoke up suddenly.

"True enough. But I've seen my fair share of darkness. I get the feeling that everyone in this city is dealing with some sort of darkness. But him, especially...he reminds me too much of a man I knew who treated others like dirt...he thought of life as a game..."

Both of them were curious as to what he was referring to.

"One of my friends," He began softly, "_was _in a gang. A very deadly one that killed her parents."

At this, both were listening, Mikado wondering what kind of sick organization would do that.

"Her sister...tried to get her out of there, but she was gunned down and killed, and since then my friend has been trying to run away from that group, the group that causes her so much heartache and pain. She regrets it deeply..."

"Not all gangs are like that!" Mikado spoke up.

"Mikado!" Masaomi said sharply.

"Sorry about that...but you seem pretty experienced in this sort of thing, and so do you, Masaomi-san. I mean, if you didn't know a thing or two about gangs, you'd probably be pretty scared. But instead, you're acting like it's natural, which tells me you've had something to do with them in the past."

Masaomi froze.

"But don't worry," He said, chuckling, "I mean, we're friends, aren't we?"

Masaomi looked at Shinichi in surprise. "Wait a second...if you said you _knew _somehow that I was involved with gangs or criminals, then why aren't you roping me in with Izaya?"

The detective's blue eyes twinkled. "Because...from what I've seen...you haven't hurt anyone, have you?"

Mikado blinked in shock. It was the exact thing he'd said to him earlier today, too.

"As long as you haven't hurt anyone or if you have you've decided to make life better for everyone else...that tells me that you're truly a good person."

"Wow, man...I really like you! You're awesome!" Masaomi said before slapping Shinichi hard on the back in joy.

"Ah...that hurt," He moaned.

"So you want to go out and go get some cute ladies?" Masaomi joked.

"I can't...I have a girlfriend..." He mumbled.

"By any chance, it wouldn't be a disembodied head, would it?" Mikado whimpered.

"No...who on earth would...?"

Shinichi happened to notice a man with brown hair walking across the street with a girl with brown hair and blue eyes. They both looked very happy together. Somehow, the sight of them cuddling together and looking so at peace with each other made a pang of envy strike Shinichi's heart.

"...Ran," He whispered softly. The girl acted a lot like her.

"What's up?" Masaomi said.

"Nothing...anyway, it looks like they're very happy over there," Shinichi spoke.

"Ah, it's more of a twisted love story than anything." Mikado said.

"How so? They seem to like each other a lot."

"It's only because of her head."

"You serious?" Kida cried.

"Yes, Kida-kun...I mean, if you look closely, you can clearly see that he's just looking at her neck all the time and talking to it."

"That's _really _creepy," Shinichi said, "Really, really creepy."

"You're not the only one who thinks that. But anyway, I'm really surprised."

"Surprised at what?" Shinichi said in confusion. "Surprised that I don't think ill of you?"

"Well," Masaomi said, "Let's go to Russia Sushi."

'I don't understand...' Mikado thought as the three of them entered Russia Sushi, 'Why isn't he persecuting us? Why is he being so friendly to us...?'

"Oh!" Simon's face lit up as he saw Kida. "Oh, look who it is! Why, why, it's Kida-kun and Kudo-san, would you like to come have some authentic Russia sushi? I make it just for you!"

Shinichi blinked and looked at him for a few moments before sweat-dropping. "Eh...maybe not right now at this very second..."

"Oh, come on, Kudo, why do you not like my authentic Russia sushi?" Simon moaned before starting to cry (or pretending to).

"I think you'd better give in," Kida hissed.

"B-But, he's _nuts," _Shinichi said.

"That's the point, Kudo! You've gotta roll with it! Come on, Shinichi-chan, or Shin-chan, show me you can do it-"

"Don't call me Shin-chan, only my mother can call me that!" Shinichi said. "Oh, sure..."

"Very good, very good, Kudo, we can have beautiful Russia sushi and then everyone over in Russia can be very happy..."

"Um, but they're not over here," Shinichi said in bewilderment.

"I was making a joke, Kudo. Now let's go..."

"Okay..." Shinichi said.

"Hey, Dota-chin, doesn't that guy look sort of familiar?" Erika Karisawa asked Kadota.

"Now that you mention it, I think I've seen him somewhere before."

"Uwaah, Dota-chin, look! It's Kida-kun and Ryuugamine-kun? Do you think they're involved in a threesome with the new guy?"

"Just pretend you don't hear her," Kadota mouthed to Walker, who looked equally annoyed.

"I'm gonna pretend I never heard her to begin with," Togusa said.

"Uwahh, Kida-kun, nice to see you!" Erika said, bounding over towards Kida. "Who's this?" She said, pointing a finger at Shinichi.

"Um...I'm Kudo Shinichi...nice to see you," He said before smiling.

"So are you here for a threesome with these two?" Erika cried.

"EH?" Shinichi cried as his face turned bright red. "Ha...what do you mean by that?"

"You know...like you three are actually secret lovers..." Erika said excitedly.

"Eh...no, I don't swing that way," Shinichi said.

"Just ignore her-"

"Oh, come on, Dota-chin, don't you see the chemistry between these three?"

"Pretend that she's deaf," Kadota said, "I'm Kadota. Your name seems vaguely familiar..."

"Um...I'm a detective, if that bothers anybody."

"The Kudo Shinichi? I've heard so much about you! I've heard that you have a love affair with Kaitou Kid!"

"Um...definitely not."

"Well, is he or isn't he?"

"No...definitely not," Shinichi said, averting his eyes. "He's just an annoying rival who I won't miss. He just does stupid things to piss me off."

"Wahh, Dota-chin, doesn't he sound just like Izaya with his lover, Shizuo?"

"Those two? It seemed more like they were trying to kill each other." Shinichi pointed out.

"Nah, it's not that way in love!"

"Uh...whatever," Shinichi said.

"Anyway, so glad to have met you," She said as she pumped his hand vigorously.

"Uh...y-y-yeah, uh...I get it," He said.

"Kudo-kun, come get sushi! Plus you need more meat on your bones!"

"Ah...I'm just fine," Shinichi said.

"You need more sushi!"

"Okay..." Shinichi mumbled, very embarrassed. "What is with everyone here? Are they all nuts?"

"I'm afraid so," Mikado said.

"What?" Shinichi said.

"Whoa, look at you go!" Kida said, "I didn't know you could eat so much food!"

"Wahh, Dota-chin, look-"

"I told you not to call me that-"

"But Izaya calls you that!"

"Doesn't mean you can," Kadota said, pouting.

"You like manga?" Walker said.

"Yeah, sure," Shinichi deadpanned.

"Oh, you asked for it," Kida said.

"Erika, Walker...don't start tormenting people with your manga obsession," Kadota warned.

"How dare you, it's not torment! Manga is the best thing in the world!" Erika cried.

"Indeed, who is out there who doesn't like it?" Walker said.

"I've read mostly...detective manga," Shinichi mumbled.

"Oh, I thought you were into horror manga-"

"You mean like the one where the kids try to kill each other?" Shinichi voiced.

"Higurashi? I love Higurashi...it's so awesome..."

"Or maybe...you're referring to the one where the abominations try to make the Magical Girls into monsters and stop the atrophy of the universe from coming to pass!" Walker exclaimed.

"Madoka? When did Madoka get in this?" She asked.

"Maybe he likes stuff like Sword Art Online or Attack on Titan?" Walker guessed.

"No, Walker-kun, I think maybe he's interested in stuff like Kindaichi or...boring stuff like that," Erika huffed.

"Detective stuff...is..._boring?" _Shinichi stammered, looking at her with shocked eyes.

"Well, the only way murder mysteries could ever be interesting is if there was a little _kid solving the murders. _That'd be cool!" She chirped, oblivious to how Shinichi's face had turned stony.

"...A little kid solving murders, huh?" He said, his face chalk-white.

"Eh, what's wrong?" Erika said.

"...Nothing."

"So where do you live? Wanna come see all our manga?"

"...No," He muttered.

"But why not?" Erika said, now completely baffled.

"I just don't feel like it...sorry," He said as he walked off.

"Hey, Shinichi, wait up!" Masaomi cried. Masaomi and Mikado both followed after the boy, quite curious.

"I wonder what has him so cracked up," Mikado said aloud.

Masaomi's face hardened. "Doesn't he act too much like an adult?"

"Well, he is an adult...he's like nineteen," Mikado joked.

* * *

"Don't you think...that Kudo Shinichi is dealing with some inner pain that's too hard for anyone but himself to comprehend? You've seen how he talks to us. Isn't that how everyone in Ikebukuro is? I mean, with her..."

"Kida-kun, what's wrong?" Mikado asked.

"No, it's nothing," Masaomi said, "Don't you think the guy's a little _too_ serious?"

"Hey," Shinichi said lightly...

"We're worried about you, man," Masaomi said. "I...was wondering about you. You seem like you're always very complex."

"Complex?" Shinichi said before laughing hollowly, "I suppose you could say the way she so casually talked about stuff...it just annoys me, is all..."

"You sure are an interesting kid-" Masaomi said, but then noticed how he stiffened at the term.

"I would like it if you didn't call me that," He whispered.

"Sorry," Masaomi said, baffled by the boy's sudden attitude change.

"What about you? You've both got your own dark secrets..."

"Mikado?" Masaomi said.

"I'm just fine, Masaomi," Mikado said reassuringly, "You wait here. I'm gonna go have a little talk with him."

Mikado's eyes turned calm. "What do you really want?"

"What do you mean?" The detective said, still playing hard to get.

"Look," Mikado said, "I know you're aware of who I really am-"

"So you are the leader of a gang?" Shinichi said.

"Whatever you do, don't tell him. Kida. I don't want him getting mixed up in it."

"What if he already is mixed up in it?"

"What do you mean?" Mikado said.

"Can't you tell already that he's very interested in that sort of thing?"

"Well, just don't tell him. It's not his place to worry about me." Mikado said.

"I see...you really do care about him, don't you?" Shinichi said softly, "Well, goodbye..."

Mikado said, "Wait, where do you live? If you want to talk to us on chat, you can. My name's TarouTanaka there!"

"Sure," Shinichi said, smiling, "Another time, then."

'What is he hiding?' Mikado thought.

"Don't be ridiculous..." Shinichi whispered. "There's no way I could ever get close to them...let them know how I feel...besides, after Ran's reaction...I don't want anyone else to get too close," He said softly, sitting on his couch and holding his head in his hands, allowing a silent tear to trail down his cheek. "..._Ran," _He whispered.

* * *

_"How could you lie to me, Shinichi? You were by my side all this time and you watched me suffer and never bothered to say anything! Why?" _

_"I just wanted to protect you," Shinichi whispered._

_"Well, you did a pretty damned good job of protecting me...by wrecking me up mentally. Now, get out!" Ran cried, tears streaking down her face. Shinichi was shocked at her reaction. _

_"Ran, I...I already told you that I'm sorry." _

_"I said, get out! I don't want to ever see you again, you dumb detective!" _

_Horrified, he looked at her in utter heartbreak. "But why, Ran? I told you everything! I explained everything to you! I did it all because I love you!" _

_"I don't give a damn. Just go away! I don't want to see you again, you tantei otaku!" _

_Usually, those words would've made him a little annoyed, but this time the utter venom in them cut right through Shinichi's heart. "Wait, Ran, I already told you-"_

_"I already told you, I don't want to hear any more about it! Get out of my life!" _

_"Ran, I'm sorry!"_

_"You're not sorry. All those days you watched me sob hysterically...why wouldn't you do something to help?"_

_"I had no choice, Ran. I love you more than anything in this world. I just wanted to protect you."_

_"No, you don't. You're only interested in yourself. Deep down, you're just a big coward who'd rather run away than face the one he loves."_

_"I did what I thought was right," Shinichi said._

_"Clearly, it wasn't the right thing to do," She spat. _

_"But, Ran, I-" He said, unable to believe the woman he loved was treating him like this. _

_"Just leave!" She cried._

_At that point, tears were streaking down Shinichi's face. He didn't even bother to hide them as he ran out into the rain, cursing himself and his foolishness. "What is it with women...?" _

_"Shinichi-kun, what happened?" Agasa asked._

_"...She hates me, that's what happened." Shinichi said darkly. _

_"I figured this would happen, Kudo-kun," Haibara said sadly. "I know no one understands how we feel." _

_"Haibara, can't you do something?" Shinichi said desperately. _

_"I'm sorry...Kudo-kun...there's nothing you can do but let her make up her mind." _

_Days passed and whenever Shinichi tried to talk to Ran at school, she would brush him off and hung out with Sonoko more. Hattori tried to calm Shinichi down, but it didn't help that Kazuha, too, was angry with Shinichi for breaking Ran-chan's heart. He found himself more and more frustrated with everyone. _

_Then he received a message from Kaitou Kid, asking him to come to Ikebukuro for his own sake. _

"...What am I thinking?" Shinichi said softly. "I know they can never accept me...no one can..."

**'I wonder if the new friend I invited will come on here, Setton-san.' **

* * *

**'Really? What's his name?' Celty asked.  
**

_**'Ooh, Tarou-Tanaka san has a lovebird!'**_Izaya chirped.

_'Hello, minna. My name is TanteiHolmes.' Shinichi wrote._

**'Pleasure to meet you, Tantei-san. I'm Setton.' Celty wrote.**

_'Nice to meet you, Setton-chan.' Shinichi wrote._

**'How did you know I'm a female?'**** Celty typed. ****'**

_'I guessed,' _Shinichi typed back in amusement.

'_**Hello there~ I'm Kanra-chan~ I'm one of the nicest girls in the world.' Izaya typed.**_

_'Hello there, Kanra-**kun...**nah, hello there, Orihara Izaya-san. How are you today?' Shinichi typed._

_'**I'm not a man~ I'm as female as you can get,"**_Izaya typed.

'_Please, your pretending to be a female is pathetic. Anyone can see through it. Next time you intend to sneak up on people online, think up better tactics, Orihara-san.'_

"DAMMIT!" Izaya cried, throwing a chess piece across the room in frustration. "How the hell did he _know?_"

"What is it now?" Namie said.

"I got bested by a teenage detective..." Izaya growled.

Namie laughed loudly. "I've got to meet this kid!"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N:Well, wanna know something funny? Izaya's birthday is today and so is Shinichi's! O.O So I've gotta honor my two favorite anime boys somehow! So today, Shinichi in Ikebukuro will be updated, along with Game of the Future, in honor of both Shinichi and Izaya!

* * *

Chapter 5 Settling in

Shinichi Kudo sighed as he awoke the next day, bright and early. He felt like there was something he was forgetting...something, very important...oh...he realized it then as he glanced at his clock...it was May 4th. He was now nineteen years old. He couldn't help but smile then...realizing there was hope for him yet...he could start a new life here in Ikebukuro, away from Ran, away from all his hardships.

"Who am I kidding? It's not like Ran would ever come here seeking my forgiveness or something." He mumbled to himself, fiddling with his untidy brown hair as he yawned and prepared to get up out of bed. He sighed and smiled then as he realized there was a message on his cell phone. It was a message from the one calling himself Mikado Ryuugamine:

"_H-Hello, Kudo-san. You ready t-to go to school today?" _

Shinichi smirked as he read over it and sighed, wishing he could find his friend the phantom thief more than anything else and smiled as he read wistfully, he tucked the cell phone back into his pocket as he typed out a short message:

"Yes, I'm ready."

* * *

He turned his attention back to his laptop and continued typing down new information for Inspector Megure on the latest case he had been working on. It wasn't like taking a vacation meant that Shinichi could slack off, because the answer to that was a big fat no. Megure still expected Shinichi to solve the usual amount of murder cases.

However, there hadn't been much activity lately, so Shinichi had been _bored. _But today was his birthday, so he expected that maybe Ran would have sent him something for his birthday. He checked his mail, and found there was a letter there from Hattori. Shinichi smiled. Of course Hattori wouldn't forget. There was something there from his parents, something from Agasa, something from..._Kaito? _There was also another letter; written on it in plain, black letters:

**To the dear detective: How interesting is it that you and I share the same birthday? This is your information broker, Orihara Izaya, talking. Today you are nineteen and today I am twenty-six years old. How often is it that people's birthdays land on the same day? Hmm...I am not a believer in fate, but does that mean that our paths were meant to cross, dear detective? I await your reply. -LoverofHumanity, Kanra**

Shinichi sighed as he read over the letter. What was with that man? He was obviously trying to lure him into something by enticing him and basically telling him it was okay to send all of Shinichi's personal info to him. But Shinichi wasn't that stupid. He wasn't a detective for nothing, after all. He knew perfectly well what kind of man Orihara Izaya was.

He was a psychopath, after all, and psychopaths could not be trusted. This, too, was the truth. He knew from years of experience of dealing with criminals that some just could not be trusted. The Kaitou Kid, obviously, was one of the few who subverted this belief. He had shown himself over the years of being quite an adept man who kept his promises and didn't hurt anyone.

However, if there was one thing that Orihara Izaya shared with the Kaitou Kid, it was that they both enjoyed toying with others; Kaito for non-malicious purposes, but Izaya, on the other hand...Shinichi sighed and decided to send him something, maybe just to shut the informant up. It was about time someone deflated his enormous ego.

_Dear Orihara Izaya-san, Happy Birthday to you too; however sharing my birthday with a criminal is not enlightening at all. So I shall reward you with a nice gift today on the chatroom. You will see what I mean when you log on. Have a nice day, Izaya-san, and say hello to Heiwajima-san for me. Oh, and don't pretend to be a girl online anymore. I'll see right through it._

Smirking, he mailed the letter, wondering what the informant's reaction would be to this. He probably wasn't used to people not playing his games or not being his puppets. He sighed then as he unravelled the packages from KID, Hattori, and his parents. Nothing from Ran. Of course, he had expected that. It would take her a while to get over the knowledge of Shinichi being the boy she had looked after for so long and had started to see as a little brother figure.

Was he better off without her, he had to wonder? It didn't seem like their relationship had grown or changed at all without Conan in the picture. When Conan was there, Shinichi had suffered; suffered from being treated as someone he was not, but now, she wanted Conan back. She still only saw him as that little boy; the one he so desperately wished to erase from history.

'That's why he sent me here, isn't it?' Shinichi thought to himself as he left his apartment and closed the door, locking it firmly so no informants could sneak inside and starting to walk down the street, only to be unsurprised when a mailman came behind him.

"...Hello there, KID," He said softly, but the reaction was hysterical. The 'mailman' jumped fifteen feet.

"Meitantei-san, what have I told you about calling me that around a city full of strangers?" He sounded like the teenager he was now.

"You lost your accent," Shinichi pointed out dryly, aggravating the thief.

"You're right," Kaito, or KID, whined. "...I'm glad you came to Ikebukuro, Shinichi. I'm sure you're acquainted with Izaya, aren't you?"

Shinichi let out a humorless laugh. "Acquainted? The guy mailed me stuff. I'm sure you saw that. Where's the regular mailman?"

"He's sleeping peacefully somewhere else," Kaito remarked darkly, before chuckling. "So, Meitantei-san, I'm glad you're doing well. I wanted you to forget about Mouri-san. I don't think she'll ever accept the truth. Aoko didn't, either...hence why I came here."

"Women," Shinichi began, but Kaito finished his sentence.

"Never understand them. You never will understand women, Shinichi. That's the way it works."

"Yeah, I'm sure it is," Shinichi said dryly, smirking at Kaito. "I'm sure you should go now. Izaya-san has lots of contacts."

"Don't worry about that," Kaito said reassuringly, "I took care of most of them for now anyway. Ja ne, tantei-san," He said and just like that, he was gone.

Shinichi smiled as he walked down the street, only to see a soda machine come flying in his direction. Shinichi gazed down at the clothes he was wearing; black with a red hood. "...Oh, crud." He whispered.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Wait, hold on a second! I'm not Izaya, Heiwajima-san." Shinichi begged.

The soda machine landed a few feet from a startled Shinichi and then Shizuo appeared.

"Oh, sorry about that. I guess I mistook you for the flea."

Shinichi allowed a trusty smile to come on his face. "Will we always meet with you throwing something at me?"

Shizuo just smirked. "Perhaps."

Suddenly Izaya appeared, steaming mad. "What's the meaning of this letter, Kudo?" He said, holding a ripped letter in his hands.

"Ah, good morning Izaya-san. I just decided I'd get the message across...you know, let you know that I will never be your pawn."

Shizuo immediately took aim, launching the soda machine at an angered Izaya, who had no time to dodge. "HA HA, I GOT THE FLEA!"

"That was a nice aim, Shizu-chan..." A dazed Izaya whimpered.

"Hey, Kudo!" Masaomi's voice cried. Shinichi smirked at a dazed Izaya as he ran off to join his friends.

"At times he acts like an ordinary kid," Shizuo remarked.

"He's much more than that," Izaya said...

"Flea, I didn't give you permission to talk!" Shizuo roared.


End file.
